"Yes, thanks to the great blessing of the Queen Mother, I am in good health."
"Okay, in that case, let's go and do something secretly for the Ai family."
Chongyang Hou raised his eyebrows.
"Please give me the Queen Mother's orders."
"You secretly send someone to the south to find someone for the Ai family who knows the art of bewitching. It's best if he also knows the art of poison."
Marquis Chongyang was startled, and his men paused.
The Queen Mother patted his hand lightly.
"Remember, it's a secret, no one can tell it."
"Yes, I understand."
——
No one knew the secrets in the palace yet. At this time, Luo Jiuli and Xiao Mingxuan were standing outside the shop.
"Your Majesty, can you help me think of a name?"
Xiao Mingxuan looked at the two-story building in front of him.
"The name of the restaurant?"
"Oh, Your Majesty, it's not a restaurant, it's a hot pot."
“What is hot pot?”
“Hot pot is hot pot.”
Xiao Mingxuan looked unhappy.
"Luo Jiuli, there is a reason why I ask you this."
Luo Jiuli turned his head.
"What reason?"
"Fool."
Xiao Mingxuan was so angry at this woman.
On the side, Qin Wu stepped forward.
"Second Miss, didn't you invite the Duke's wife to have hot pot last time?"
He could smell the fragrance outside the yard.
Luo Jiuli rolled his eyes and pointed at Qin Wudao.
"Oh! I understand, you told the prince?"
Qin Wu lowered his head and remained silent.
Miss Luo Er is actually a very nice person, as long as you don't annoy her.
Luo Jiuli looked at Xiao Mingxuan with a smile.
"Your Majesty, I asked Qin Wu to go to Shilipu and bring back a pot. Tomorrow, on the 15th, I will go to the house to have hot pot with the Prince."
Xiao Mingxuan's tense handsome face instantly relaxed.
"You have a conscience."
Luo Jiuli: Having a hot pot with him will make you have a conscience. Her silly prince is too easily satisfied.
Since he wanted the Nine Kings to appreciate the charm of hot pot, the first thing Luo Jiuli did after returning to the Duke's Mansion was to make a long order and ask Nan Zhu to send it to the Nine Princes' Mansion for the palace's housekeeper to prepare.
As soon as Nanzhu left with the list in his hand, the Duke's wife entered Fuquyuan.
"Mother, why are you here?"
Luo Jiuli went out to greet him.
"Come and see you."
The Duke's wife stepped aside, took Luo Jiuli's hand and entered the house.
Luo Jiuli knew in his heart that he would not be able to escape his mother's questioning even if he returned to the mansion.
"Mother wants to ask about what happened in Da Sima's Mansion this morning?"
The Duke's wife raised her head and looked at her.
"Right now, there are rumors everywhere on the street that the Ninth Prince was so angry that he arrested Miss Hu's secret guards at the gate of Da Sima's mansion, and sent Miss Hu to a nunnery in the suburbs of Beijing to be ordained as a nun."
Luo Jiuli listened and handed the brewed tea to his mother's hand.
"Mother is worried that because of this incident, the feud between the Duke of Yiguo and the Grand Sima's Palace will deepen?"
"No, that's not what mother is worried about."
The Duke's wife took the tea cup and shook her head.
"Our Lord Yiguo's Mansion and Grand Sima's Mansion have different principles and do not work together. Your father and Grand Sima also follow their own aspirations."
"What mother is worried about is that the matter about you and the Ninth Prince is spreading in the capital, and I'm afraid someone will make a fuss about it."
"Don't worry, mother, the Nine Kings will handle this matter."
Luo Jiuli quickly comforted him.
"No matter how big a fuss those thoughtful people want to make about this matter, my daughter will not take it seriously."
"The path she walks on is her own, and her future life will be her own. The more those people suppress her and spread rumors, the more her daughter will be better off than they are."
"My daughter won't do stupid things that hurt her relatives and make her enemies happy."
"Mother, you can relax your mind, eat when you should, drink when you should, be happy when you should be happy, and worship the Buddha when you should."
"Only when you stop caring can you become someone that others care about."
After explaining some great truth, the duke and his wife were shocked and dumbfounded.
After a while, the duchess gradually smiled and reached out to stroke Luo Jiuli's hair.
"My daughter has really grown up and become more enlightened."
"My mother, on the other hand, cared too much about other people's eyes and thoughts, and got into a dead end."
Luo Jiuli smiled faintly.
"A mother is chaotic when she cares."
"Yes! Care leads to chaos."
The Duke's wife looked out the window with a smile.
"Tomorrow is the 15th, and Nanhua Temple will hold a Dharma conference. Do you want to go together to listen to the Dharma?"
Luo Jiuli quickly waved his hand.
"Mom, please forgive me. My daughter doesn't have the wisdom. If she falls asleep during the Dharma ceremony, wouldn't she be blaspheming against the Buddha and Amitabha?"
"Smelly girl."
The Duke's wife smiled and pinched her nose.
"Well, since you don't want to go, mother won't embarrass you. Mother will leave for Nanhua Temple early tomorrow morning. You can stay at home well."
"Well, my daughter knows."
Luo Jiuli nodded.
"Mrs. Qi, the second young lady."
The housekeeper stood outside to report, interrupting the conversation between mother and daughter in the room.
"Madam, Second Young Lady, there is someone coming from the palace. It is Eunuch Li who is with the Queen Mother."
Luo Jiuli's expression turned cold:
"Are these people done all day?"
"She is already so old and has endless wealth and splendor. Can't she live a good life in the palace? She spends the whole day fighting against this and that, doing all the disgusting things."
Luo Jiuli's patience with the Queen Mother and Concubine Hu was simply stretched to the limit.
From the time she came to the present, almost all the respectable Hu family members feel sorry for her. She is not made of paper or clay.
The Duke's wife patted the back of her daughter's hand lightly:
"I just said that you have grown up and become more enlightened. Why did you lose your temper so quickly? Please be patient."
With that said, he pulled up Luo Jiuli.
"Let's go and have a look."
Luo Jiuli nodded and sighed.
The Queen Mother really doesn't give people a chance to breathe.
In the spacious front yard, Eunuch Li Wu stood upright. From a distance, he saw Luo Jiuli and Mrs. Guo Gong walking over.
"Eunuch Li is here, please sit down in the hall."
The Duke's wife is generous and graceful.
Luo Jiuli glanced lightly, stood aside with a low eyebrow, and said nothing.
Li Wu had learned Luo Jiuli's methods and did not dare to show any dissatisfaction on his face.
"No, the Queen Mother ordered our family to pick up some gifts for Miss Luo Er and send them over."
As he spoke, he waved his hands behind him.
There were four little eunuchs, each holding a jade plate in their hands, lowering their heads, and respectfully presented the things:
"This is a pair of gold hairpins with a lotus leaf pattern, a pair of coral and silk flower bracelets, a pair of gold and butterfly beads, and a jasper inlaid with pearls. Please take a look at it, Miss Luo Er."
The Duke's wife stood aside quietly, secretly thinking that it was indeed the Queen Mother.
This reward can't be said to be very valuable, but fortunately, it was really accurate at this time.
After all, this kind of thing happened to my mother's family. Not only was she tolerant and generous, she didn't punish Jiu'er, but she also sent someone to give her a reward.